Rope Drop...Why Bother?

[Fantaluminishes]

Why people want to get stuck in that mad rush to be the first on a ride is beyond me. We did "rope drop" yesterday for the first time in ages. Never again. It's bad enough navigating through masses of people during the evening when Fantasmic and the fireworks are happening. Why do I want to start my day with people pushing and shoving their way to rides?

Yesterday, we lined up to enter Adventureland, about 10 minutes before the 9am opening, with the goal of riding HMH first. The slow walk through Adventureland was just like the walk out on a Fantasmic night, slow and crowded. When we got to HMH, we were in the first elevator of the day. So what? By 10am, we had ridden HMH, Splash, POTC, Indy and BTMRR. We could have easily ridden HMH multiple times if we wanted to.

The first two to three hours in the parks are usually the lightest of the day. Lining up at a rope is a waste of time. If I get to the park before they let people past the plaza, I'll just hang out on Main Street until the rush ends (about five minutes after opening).

I have no problem with people wanting to get to the park at opening. I do that all the time. But those wondering of there is any advantage to doing the "rope drop" take heed. There is no advantage to this. Nor is there an advantage to lining up at the gate before the turnstiles open. Unless of course standing in line is something you enjoy doing.

 

[disney world dreamer]

i've only been on one trip to DLR and i did rope drop every day and it was not a mad house at all.
i went to the parks the last few days of june 2013 so its not like it was the least crowded time of the year or anything either.

i do rope drop at disney world every time i go and at every park and it has only been an unhappy experience a couple of times.
once was when some guy at AK pushed me and another was at epcot when an old lady in an ECV that had no business using one cuz she didn't know how ran into the back of my foot and my foot got stuck between the wheel and the foot rest and she just kept trying to go. after i screamed a couple of swear words cuz i was in pain and she would stop a family member had to pull her hand off of the button so i could pull my foot out.

 

[ehrawn]

Agreed. I normally line up for 30 to 60 min before gates open, greet a Character or two in the hub, and then queue for rope drop. Our first day last trip got a little bit delayed. We ended up walking right through the gate with no line, taking a leisurely stroll down Main Street, and walking right into FL- no lines, no rush, and no stress.

The tricky part is timing. The most important thing you can do to ensure a good day is to show up before the crowds. For infrequent visitors and those not familiar with distances between points in DL, what time would you recommend people show up to the gate?

 

[AmberStar]

Agreed. I normally line up for 30 to 60 min before gates open, greet a Character or two in the hub, and then queue for rope drop. Our first day last trip got a little bit delayed. We ended up walking right through the gate with no line, taking a leisurely stroll down Main Street, and walking right into FL- no lines, no rush, and no stress.

The tricky part is timing. The most important thing you can do to ensure a good day is to show up before the crowds. For infrequent visitors and those not familiar with distances between points in DL, what time would you recommend people show up to the gate?

My question too. How much earlier to turnstiles (area w/ tickets) start moving before rope drop to enter the rest of the park. Am I understanding that main street is open before rope drop?

 

[GatorChris]

On our last trip, we would hit DL at just after opening. The lines to get in at the gate weren't bad and we were able to walk down Main Street with relative ease. We grabbed a FP for Splash and then literally walked on to POTC. I mean there wasn't a soul in line and we walked right onto a boat. That was pretty awesome!

 

[disneyobsessed808]

There is a huge advantage, in my opinion, to arriving at rope drop.

The only time I'll ride Peter Pan is when I arrive at the ropes before park opening. That way I can get in and out of the ride within 5-10 minutes. Even just 10 minutes after rope drop, the line can build into 30 or 40 minutes, costing you 40 minutes of time that the park is actually open. That 40 minutes in the morning can be key to getting in as many attractions as possible before the mid-day/afternoon crowds arrive.

The hour of time when the park is not open that you have to wait for the rope drop is less valuable to me (since the park isn't open yet, you can't really do anything else anyway) than the 30-40 minutes of touring time you would lose by not getting into an attraction right away.

 

[MinnieMouse100]

I also really enjoy the opening show at MK. It's worth doing at least once.

 

[MouseEXP]

Rope drop is important for one certain attraction at Disneyland. That one attraction is Peter Pan... You can also probably add the Elsa and Anna FP thingy.

Other than that you should try to see as much of Fantasyland within that first hour as you can. After that first hour you should avoid that land like the plague.

Unfortunately, the OP went to the side of the park that is probably the least important since it really doesn't get busy in that area until 10am. However, they seem to get quite a bit done before 10am, so I guess that is one advantage.

I thought the WDW Magic Kingdom rope drop show was quite interesting coming from a Disneyland fan. However, holding you at the entrance tunnels and the overall lack of Cast Member guest control makes it confusing and stressful. Also, the Magic Kingdom seemed to open 15 minutes before the time listed on the schedule, so I guess that was nice.

However, the craziest rope drop goes to Tokyo Disneyland. The characters come out to the entrance gates to say high and the park opens and guests go through the turnstiles. Then commence the running of the bulls (guests) as they literally run full sprint to their favorite attraction, fastpass stall, or parade spot. You never feel like you will get run over since the walking space is huge, but it is quite the experience and fun to watch.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Yes, it makes Peter Pan so much easier. It's also nice to see the park generally pretty empty.

Also all of the rope drop hype! Gets the blood flowing!

 

[Coffee50]

I don't mind rope drop at all, but I always tend to go towards tomorrow land.

Rope drop + adventureland's small, narrow walkway would probably deter any first time rope drop visitors, lol!

 

[Cheshirepotamus]

Is there an opening show at Disneyland like at MK in WDW?

 

[lalasmama]

Is there an opening show at Disneyland like at MK in WDW?

No, there isn't an opening show at Disneyland.

 

[Kristina4109]

i've only been on one trip to DLR and i did rope drop every day and it was not a mad house at all.
i went to the parks the last few days of june 2013 so its not like it was the least crowded time of the year or anything either.

i do rope drop at disney world every time i go and at every park and it has only been an unhappy experience a couple of times.
once was when some guy at AK pushed me and another was at epcot when an old lady in an ECV that had no business using one cuz she didn't know how ran into the back of my foot and my foot got stuck between the wheel and the foot rest and she just kept trying to go. after i screamed a couple of swear words cuz i was in pain and she would stop a family member had to pull her hand off of the button so i could pull my foot out.

There is a big difference between doing a rope drop on a quiet day, when the park opens at 10:00am, and a busy day like in June, when the park opens at 8:00am. It is much easier for your average tourist to be in line at the turnstiles at 9:30am than it is to do the same thing at 7:30am.

I was also in DL for 3 days in June 2013. We actually used Early Entry to get into both parks at 7:00am at opening. That was amazing. Walked right on Radiator Springs Racers and skipped down Main Street, U.S.A. like we owned the place.

 

[cmpeter]

I love rope drop and being one of the first through the turnstiles.

 

[Crisi83]

How does rope drop work? Do you go through the turnstiles and then wait in the park? We are going to have to go one more first thing so we can get Elsa and Anna Fast Passes.... in all my visits never done rope drop cause I like to sleep in!

 

[MouseEXP]

How does rope drop work? Do you go through the turnstiles and then wait in the park? We are going to have to go one more first thing so we can get Elsa and Anna Fast Passes.... in all my visits never done rope drop cause I like to sleep in!

They open the turn styles 30-15 minutes before the park opens. Some of the characters are out in town square for pictures which is great and is something to do with minimal waits. I believe the shops, Starbucks, and Jolly Holiday are open.

They hold everyone up near the hub.

When the park officially opens a special announcement is made over the loud speakers. The ropes drop, whistle while you work plays in the background and the guests head to their attractions.

The best trivia regarding rope drop is the loud speaker announcer for Disneyland is married to the loud speaker announcer at Disney California Adventure.

 

[bumbershoot]

When we got to HMH, we were in the first elevator of the day. So what? By 10am, we had ridden HMH, Splash, POTC, Indy and BTMRR. We could have easily ridden HMH multiple times if we wanted to.

Didn't you just define precisely why one should do rope drop?

 

[whoever]

EMH/Rope Drop is a must for us. Peter Pan is instantly 30+ minutes if you aren't in the first few hundred people through the castle gates. You'll burn similar amounts of time waiting in the popular attraction queues. Alice fills up quick, Dumbo, HMH, Space, ETC.

 

[ehrawn]

Didn't you just define precisely why one should do rope drop?

I don't think so. OP was saying queues weren't filling up until much later than they arrive. 5, 10 or even 30 mins later wouldn't have made a difference for them. The July morning I referenced where we missed rope drop, we did FL first. PP was closed, so that might have changed some things, but we did nine attractions, including Matterhorn, ST, & BTMR plus a full PFF experience and the Disneyland Band all before noon. The slower pace allowed DD5 and DS3 experience the park at their own pace.

Now, we got this by happenstance. I'd like to figure out how many minutes after gates open we need to show up to reproduce this.

 

[petals]

I'd imagine Rope drop helps with Peter Pan, Radiator Springs racers and Anna and Elsa.